A gasoline direct injection single cylinder engine has been developed to study operational characteristics for highly stratified conditions. Parameters related to design and experiment were also studied to understand the characteristics of combustion and emissions at some part load conditions. It was found that optimal timings between the end of fuel injection and spark ignition were existed for stable combustion under the stratified modes, In a low engine speed, fuel spray behavior around piston bowl was important for stable combustion. The in-cylinder air motion affecting fuel spray behavior was found to be a dominant factor at higher engine speed as fuel injection timing had to be advanced to secure enough time for fuel evaporation and mixing with surrounding air. As swirl ratio increased, spark timing could be advanced for stable combustion and a higher compression ratio could be used for improved fuel consumption and stable combustion at the stratified mode. It was also observed that electrode geometry and piston bowl shape played an important role for combustion and emission characteristics and some results were shown for comparison.